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4A Clje 1) eralb Tuesday, May 11,2021 Opinions Ruffin's Renderings: Fogeyism Did you celebrate Star Wars Day on May the fourth? Get it? Star Wars Day on May the Fourth— as in “May the Fourth be with you!” Of you wor ship in a liturgical tradi tion, the proper response is “And also with you!”) (I could go on to explain that it’s a play on “May the Force be with you,” but a pun that has to be explained is a poor pun. That reminds me of a pun that appeared on many church message boards in the early days of email: “God answers knee mail.” It was a pret ty good pun, as church message board puns go. But then I saw a church message board that said, “Like email, God answers knee mail.” 1 thought, “Way to disrespect the intelligence of your readers, church message board message writer.” It struck me as conde scending, which means to look down on). I’m a casual Star Wars Fan. I’ve seen all nine films that constitute the primary narrative. I’ve also seen Rogue One. 1 haven’t gotten around to Solo, but 1 have watched the Mandalorian series. I’ve seen none of the ani mated series, and don’t plan to. 1 said all that to say that 1 don’t care about Star Wars Day. 1 don’t ob serve it. I wouldn’t miss it if it never happened again. 1 mean, it’s harm less fun, but I don’t have time for such frivolity. Having said what 1 just said, I’d like to go on to observe that it doesn’t matter whether or not 1 am a true Star Wars devotee and whether or not 1 celebrate Star Wars Day. Frankly, 1 should keep my per spective on such things to myself. If you mention something that you enjoy that means nothing to me—things such as birdwatching, ice hockey, romance novels, bungee jumping, card games, reading Latin, drinking Fresca, or listen ing to polka music—1 contribute nothing to the betterment of soci ety by saying, “1 don’t care about that.” In that moment, all that should matter to me is that you care about it, and 1 care about you, so I should be happy for you. 1 should get joy out of your enjoyment, even if 1 have no idea why you enjoy it. My point is that 1 don’t see the point in saying what 1 don’t like. Be sides, to do so can be a first step toward automatical ly responding negatively to anything that 1 don’t understand, that 1 can’t relate to, or that strikes me as being too new-fan gled. 1 can’t do anything about the fact that I’m getting older, but 1 hope and pray 1 won’t become an old fogey. 1 wrote a poem about what I’m trying to say. It’s called “Hardening.” It goes like this: Three score and ten seems fair. But if you feel pretty good as you get near it, four score starts to sound reasonable, four score and ten at tainable, and five score not out of the question. Then you think about how your minor arthritis might become major, your occasional for getfulness might become frequent, and your declining hearing might go all the way down, and you tell yourself well, none of that would be so bad. Minor inconveniences requiring bearable adjust ments. But what if you become more set in your ways, more stuck in your perspectives, more callous in your sympathies, less open in your search for truth? And you find yourself realizing you’d rather go sooner with hardened arteries than later with hard ened attitudes. You may not like poetry. If you don’t, see what 1 said above about things such as birdwatch ing, ice hockey, romance novels, bungee jump ing, card games, reading Latin, drinking Fresca, or listening to polka music. Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native. His new book, Praying with Matthew, is available at helwys.com and Amazon. Let me be me, and I will let you be you KAV S. PEDROTTI kayspedrotti@gmail.com The most destruc tive word spoken today: divide. The most im portant word spoken today: unity. Why do we continue to believe in ourselves as “groups”? We get labeled “privi leged whites,” “perse cuted blacks,” “intruder Hispanics,” “underpaid women,” “Asian interlopers,” “angry red necks,” “domi nant males” - the beat goes on. Even older, wiser folk are often labeled “a burden to society.” If 1 remem ber everything I’ve learned from school and church, all of us were created as individuals. A large majority of us never has followed a KoolAid cult and never will. But how many today find ourselves drinking bitter potions of demands that we ad here to our stereotypes, or be ostracized, exiled, beat down or forgotten? Witness what one politi cian said to an African American Republican leader: “If you are not a Democrat, you ain’t black.” Last 1 heard, your as signed “group” was not based on how you vote, but could be determined from those places-in- society which have been chosen for us, (in the majority of cases). Many of us broke away from our upbringing - whether riches, poverty, ignorance or accident of disability- years ago. Many, many who were condemned to “be criminals” have excelled in education and fought their way to comfort able lives and adept leadership, no matter which race. Families, homes, churches and other gatherings of humans have been tortured and torn apart by differing “political views,” and for WHAT? So we can pat ourselves on our backs and say, “It’s okay, because I’m right!” So we can claim unearned positions and benefits based on past wrongs? So we can feel better about whichever party is in charge in Washington? So we can swear the United States is go ing to hell in a handbasket and there’s nothing we can do about it? But, my friends - there is something we can do. No one can be entirely wrong or right about everything. With very few exceptions, no one is so inherently evil as to deserve complete destruction. 1 very much like, or even love in dif ferent degrees, almost everyone 1 know. Those 1 don’t care for I avoid, but when there is a reason to give them credit for some thing good, 1 do. 1 try to remember that every one of us is an indi vidual, with our stellar qualities and those that don’t appear worthy to somebody else. The best thing we can do: unite, work together for the good of all, and stop handing the politi cians the handbasket. Kay S. Pedrotti has spent some 50 years writing for newspapers. She is active in the Lamar County com munity and currently serves as the president of Lamar Arts. She lives in Milner with her husband Bob Pedrotti. The Herald Gazette letter guidelines The Herald Gazette welcomes letters to the editor. For a letter to be consid ered for publica tion, please in clude the writer’s actual name, ad dress and telephone number. Limit letters to 250 words or less. Shorter letters are ap preciated. All letters are subject to editing. No personal attacks on private citizens, political endorse ments or letters that are racially divisive. Send letters to RO. Box 220, Barnes ville, 30204, email it to news@ barnesville.com or drop it by 509 Greenwood Street, Barnesville. ^ CAN'T SAY— N TH'PURPOSE OF FISHIN'ISNOTTO b KNOW WHEN! ^ WHEN WILL x WE GET BACK FROM . FISHIN' DADDY? /. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Reader questions placement of news articles Just a short note to let you know that I thought it was in very poor taste that on the front page of your April 27, 2021 publication you felt the need to put the article about Saffron Abreu on the same page, same day as the picture of her ar rested grandfather. It really makes for a nice keepsake for the young lady who has worked to become STAR student of LCHS. Good thinking! BILL SPRINGER mi ii RACHEL MCDANIEL / THE HERALD GAZETTE Sophie Crooms (holding her winning photo) won the Towaliga CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Coloring Contest held during Child Abuse Prevention month. Pictured with her are her cousins, sibling and mom (front row l-r) Sophie Crooms, Kendyl Davis (second row l-r) Lilia Davis, Camden Crooms, Kaden Davis (back row l-r) as well as Georgia Hooks and Mary Ann Leveritt of Towaliga CASA and her mom Brittany Crooms. Local wins CASA/DFCS coloring contest Towaliga CASA (Court Appointed Special Ad vocates), serving Lamar and Butts County, in partnership with the local Departments of Family and Children Services, re cently hosted a coloring contest to bring aware ness to April being Child Abuse Prevention month. Sophie Crooms, age 9, won the coloring contest for Lamar County and has received a $25 gift card for her excellent coloring, said CASA volunteer su pervisor Georgia Hooks. “Thanks to Sophie, her mother and all involved in preventing child abuse in our counties,” she said. “If you would like to learn more about becom ing a CASA volunteer to advocate for children in foster care, email Mary Ann Leverett at mlever- ett@tacourts.com or call her at 478-394-0315.” May 9-15 10 years ago FEMA set up a disas ter center at the old Barnesville Academy gym to assist locals impacted by the April 28 killer tornado. State defense force person nel assigned here were gaining weight. “1 worked so hard, got so little sleep and still gained 20 pounds. Whomever made the peach cobbler is in line for a proposal of marriage,” Col. Michael Worthington said. 25 years ago Armed robberies were on the rise in the com munity. The Red Apple store on Atlanta Street had been hit twice in 17 days. A quick-thinking clerk spoiled a robbery at Hot Shot. Her hero ics led to the arrest of 26-year-old Kevin Nichols who fled the crime scene on a bicycle. 50 years ago Sharon Blevins, a fifth grader at the Thomaston Street School, repre sented Lamar schools at the district spelling bee. Sharon, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Blevins, finished fourth. The top three finishers were eighth graders. 100 years ago A jolly fishing party left Barnesville Tuesday morning for the Satilla River, where they know the fish to be, on a trip to last several days, dur ing which their friends throughout this vicinity wish for them every pos sible pleasure, recreation and sport. On the trip were W. A. LeSueur, J. B. Fleming, W. H. and Theo dore Crowder, J. S. Talley, John G. Colbert, Frank Askin, Curtis Sykes, Van Milner, Cohen Milner, W. A. Sullivan, A. H. Mc Carty, Sam Fortson, W. N. Reeves, George William son, Dewey Farr and two cooks. Zi)t Umltr feette barnesville.com 770.358.NEWS P.0. Box 220 Publishers Staff SUBSCRIBE DEADLINES 509 Greenwood Street Walter Geiger Nolan George $30 per year in Lamar and sur- The deadline for public notices Barnesville, Ga. 30204 Laura Geiger Rachel McDaniel rounding counties; $40 outside is noon Thursdays; news and 770-358-NEWS Tasha Webster the local area. advertising before noon Fridays. barnesville.com General Manager Includes 24/7 access to Early submission is appreciated. E-mail: news@barnesville.com Missy Ware barnesville.com